International

Paris: A French Muslim singer who became an overnight star after dazzling judges on a TV talent show quit the contest on Friday after coming under fire for past Facebook comments about terror attacks. Mennel Ibtissem, a 22-year-old student who wears a head wrap, was one of the top contestants on The Voice, where her English and Arabic version of …

Seoul: South Korea’s president held landmark talks with the North’s ceremonial head of state and the sister of its leader Kim Jong Un Saturday, even as the US warned against falling for Pyongyang’s Olympic charm offensive. Moon hosted the elderly Kim Yong Nam — technically the highest-level Northern official ever to go to the South — and Pyongyang’s star representative …

Singapore: The owner of a Singapore bar named “Escobar” said a picture of the Colombian drug lord may have been a bad choice after angry complaints and a warning from the narcotics agency in a country known for its zero-tolerance policy on illegal drugs. The gastropub in the city-state’s financial district has drawn the attention of Singapore’s drug enforcement agency …

Iincheon: The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in South Korea on Friday, landing at Incheon International Airport in a private jet with the rest of her entourage of senior officials, including the North’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam. Kim Yo Jong is the first of North Korea’s ruling family to visit the South, while Kim …

Washington: The US administration on Thursday imposed sanctions against three individuals, allegedly having connections with Pakistan-based terror outfits. The Trump administration also called on the Pakistani government to deny safe havens to precarious terrorists and organizations. The trio has been designated as “global terrorists” by the US Department of Treasury for their association with terror networks like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and …

Washington: The United States on Thursday called on Maldives President Abdulla Yameen to ensure the proper functioning of the Parliament and restore constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people and institutions in the country. “The US calls on President Yameen, the army, and police to comply with the rule of law, implement the Supreme Court’s lawful ruling, ensure the full and …

Rescue workers scrambled to search for survivors in buildings left tilting precariously on their foundations in the Taiwanese city of Hualien on Wednesday after an overnight earthquake killed four and injured more than 200. Authorities said they could not verify how many residents were still missing after the 6.4-magnitude quake which hit the popular tourist city late Tuesday. Rescue efforts …

New Delhi: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that as many as 68 million girls could be subjected to female genital mutilation by 2030. In a statement released on the United Nations website, Guterres said that over 200 million women and girls alive today have experienced female genital mutilation in 30 countries across three continents. “Without concerted, accelerated action, a further …

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats embark on a final round of talks Tuesday to seal a coalition deal and end months of political limbo in Europe’s top economy. After marathon talks Monday, negotiators from Merkel’s CDU party, her Bavarian CSU ally and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) are to reconvene in Berlin at 10:00 am (0900 …

Beijing: The Chinese defence ministry said on Tuesday that Beijing has successfully carried out a test of an anti-missile intercept system and described it has defensive and not aimed at any country. As part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious modernisation scheme, China has been going hard on research into all kinds of missiles, ranging from those which can destroy satellites …